The Reality of Food Insecurity in Quebec
- Quebec-wide food insecurity has surged: In 2024, food insecurity affected 20% of Quebecers, up from 16% the previous year. (Source: ca)
- Certain household types face even higher rates:
- Women-led single-parent households: 52%
- Adults living alone: 32%
- Couples with children: 29%
- Seniors: 13%, and seniors living alone: 14%
- (Source: ca)
- Food insecurity disproportionately impacts equity-seeking groups:
- Children: 33%
- Recent immigrants (≤5 years): 35%
- (Source: ca)
- Across Canada, the toll is staggering: In 2024, about 25% of Canadians—nearly 10 million people—struggled to afford enough food.
- (Source: ca)
- Food bank usage is skyrocketing:
- Canada-wide, visits have increased 90% since 2019, hitting around 2 million visits per month; nearly 700,000 of those were children.
- (Source : CityNews Montreal+1)
- In Quebec, there are 2.9 million monthly food assistance requests, up by 1 million over three years.
- (Source : CityNews Montreal)
- 47% of food bank clients in Quebec are families; and 20% have jobs as their primary income.
- (Source : CityNews Montreal+1)
- Long-term dependence on food banks:
- Over 80% of first-time users were food-insecure; almost half experienced severe insecurity, meaning they regularly skipped meals.
- 75% had household incomes under $20,000/year.
- Of those first-time users, 31.4% became chronic users (visiting nearly monthly), and 10.6% remained occasional users after two years.
- (Source : umontreal.ca)
- Student food insecurity is also rising sharply:
- Food bank use among post-secondary students in Montreal rose 540% between 2011 and 2023, and students now make up 14% of food bank clients.
- (Source : CityNews Montreal)
- In the province, 10.5% of food bank users were students in 2024, up from a much lower number in 2019 (about 6,619 to 16,652 users).
- (Source : qc.ca)